We are the champions!
SUBIC: The Philippines can crown itself the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games overall champion with an emphatic victory coming from all fronts in the biggest sports spectacle in the region.
Team Philippines harvested 145
gold, 115 silver and 116 bronze medals. Vietnam has 95-85-103 tally to quash 2013 and 2015 editions champion Thailand with 91-97-112.
Former titlist Indonesia is fourth (71-80-108) followed by defending champion Malaysia (53-57-71).
At sixth spot is Singapore (53-4666) followed by Myanmar (4-18-49), Cambodia (4-6-36), Brunei (2-5-6), Laos (1-5-27) and Timor Leste (1-5-27).
It is the second time that the Philippines won the overall crown after it hosted 14 years ago and finished with a 112-85-93-medal haul.
Bucking a previous disappointment, Filipino-American Eric Shaun Cray redeemed himself as he retained the crown in the 400- meter ( m) hurdles in front of a raucous home crowd at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac.
He crossed the finish line in 50.21 seconds to grabbed the country’s 10th gold in athletics.
Cray, who was denied to run in 100-m dash due to a false start, defeated Cong Lich Quach of Vietnam (51.60), who settled for silver, and compatriot Francis Medina, who got the bronze (51.68).
Aries Toledo made sure that he remained the strongest man in the region by ruling the men’s decathlon with 7033 points.
The 2017 SEA Games champion defeated Van Su Bui of Vietnam with 6911, while fellow Filipino Janry Ubas posted 6769 for third position.
Mark Harry Diones got a silver in triple jump, while Robyn Lauren Brown and Joida Gagnao nabbed the bronze in the women’s 400-m hurdles and 5000-m events, respectively.
William Morrison 3rd added a late silver finish in discus throw with the women’s relay team of Eloiza Luzon, Jessel Lumapas, Maureen Schrijvers and Robyn Brown wound up with a bronze in the four by 400 m event.
The Philippine athletics team, with current 11- 7- 8 gold- silver- bronze medal finish, bested its 2017 SEA Games showing of 5-3-10.
Adrian Guggenheim and Annie Ramirez added a gold medal each to the Philippine jiujitsu team’s haul after Guggenheim forced Indonesia’s Willy Willy to a submission to rule the men’s under-77 kilograms (kg) class at the Laus Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
On the other hand, Ramirez trounced Malaysia’s Cassandra J Poyong, 3- 0, to win the women’s under-55 kg category.
Luigi Joshua Ladera settled for the silver in the men’s -94 kg, while Peter Lawrence Meimban and Apryl Jessica Epingger nabbed a bronze apiece in the men’s -120 kg and the women’s -62 kg, respectively.
The Philippine jiujitsu squad finished its SEA Games campaign with five golds, three silvers and three bronzes.
The Filipino soft tennis team capped an impressive campaign by claiming victory in the men’s team event finals over Thailand, 2-1, and emerged overall champion at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Court in Manila.
Noel Damian Jr. and Mark Anthony Alcoseba opened the finals campaign in the first doubles against the duo of Sakan Thansiriroj and Thanarit Surarak, but were denied to get the match, 3-5.
Joseph Arcilla came to the rescue after pounding Kawin Yannarit, 4-1, during the singles match up.
The second doubles game featured the tandem of Mikoff Manduriao and Dheo Talatayod, who beat Teerapat Sujaritplee and Torlarp Songweera, 5-3, to seal the victory for the host nation.